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Terror most foul
Not immune to corruption |
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Liberal Indians have a battle ahead
In the company of geishas in Tokyo
Exercising the right to vote, and how
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Terror most foul The
kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram, a terrorist group, has finally shaken the world even as the victims' fate remains uncertain. When nearly 300 girls were abducted from a boarding school in Chibok in Borno state a month ago, the mass kidnapping failed to make headlines. However, it was taken up on social media, with prominent leaders joining in the campaign. Finally, international pressure is building on President Goodluck Jonathan's government to find the girls and restore them to their families. The kidnappers have now released a video which shows the kidnapped girls along with a list of demands of the Islamic terrorists. Their leader, Abubakar Shekau, has demanded the release of prisoners held by the Nigerian government, among other things. The very fact that these girls were studying was an anathema for the group whose name is translated as “western education is a sin.” Indeed, northern Nigeria is dominated by Boko Haram, and one of the first communications after the kidnapping said that the girls should not have been in school, but should have been married. The international condemnation of the incident and offers of help from major western nations have spurred the Nigerian government into action. However, the army there has already been accused of failing to act even after it had received intelligence reports warning it about the impending attack. It is not clear if hostages have been exchanged with the terrorist group earlier, although the government denies it and says it would not negotiate with the terrorists. While the first priority of the government should be the safe release of the kidnapped girls, it also needs to act more decisively against the terrorists who have been active since 2009 in the historically marginalised, Muslim-dominated, economically backward North. Thousands of civilians have faced the brunt of the attacks, and this time too, it is the children who are suffering. The spotlight is on the plight of the girls, and how the Nigerian government
acts.
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Not immune to corruption Doctors
with a private practice involved in the universal immunisation programme funded by the government make parents cough up Rs 15,000 to 28,000 in addition to the consultation fee for the complete immunisation of a child in Ambala district. If only the Health Department of Haryana could ask the private doctors to put up a declaration in their clinics that vaccines provided by the government are free of cost, it would save thousands of parents from being fleeced. Disinterest of the government has allowed private doctors to turn a welfare scheme into a money spinner. Appallingly, when the government does wake up to show some concern for close to 11 million Indian children who are not vaccinated because they are too poor to afford private care and because the government has not yet established systems to reach out to them, it still ends up burning a hole in their pockets, simply for lack of supervision. By a rough estimate, about 25 million babies are vaccinated in India every year. By any estimate, it is a huge number and the costs involved are stupendous, even though the government bears most of it. The way vaccines are acquired for the universal immunisation programme is complex. Often, WHO recommends vaccines that are accepted, but these recommendations are made without considering the costs for poor countries like India. The government procures
DPT, also called the trivalent vaccine, for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus at Rs 15 from Indian firms but the WHO-backed trivalent vaccine costs Rs 525. Often the medical practitioner throws away the empty vaccine bottle before the beneficiary comes to know what the printed MRP is. In larger cities people end up paying two to three times of the actual cost in the absence of proper regulation. If the government has to fund and administer the immunisation
programme, it must follow the model used for the polio eradication programme of complete documentation and regulation else loopholes like these would be exploited by the vested interests.
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One's eyes are what one is, one's mouth is what one becomes. — John Galsworthy
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Examination for Hindu priests THE Baroda Government proposes to introduce a Bill in the State Council which requires Hindu priests to pass a prescribed examination before assuming the title and performing the functions of the office. Apparently a committee of learned priests will be appointed to hold the examinations and grant the qualifying certificates. Such a proposal cannot even be thought of in British provinces. It is true that Hindu priesthood has degenerated and the necessity for raising its status and qualifications will be admitted, though it is doubtful whether State legislation is advisable. It would appear that the Travancore Government which has a number of appointments connected with State-managed temples to fill, requires the candidates to acquire prescribed qualifications. THE National Union of Teachers in Great Britain recently passed a resolution to the effect that a system of compulsory attendance at continuation classes should be established for children, at the ages of 14 and 18, who are not otherwise receiving a suitable education. The continuation classes are intended to train and equip children for a profession or calling and it is a wholesome policy to give a useful industrial or professional training to boys and girls between 14 and 18 years of age. Such a training makes young men and women fit to take up their duties in the industrial economy of the country and it adds immensely to the efficiency and service of the country. The fact such a comprehensive and practical scheme of education is unknown in India exposes the defects of our system.
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Liberal Indians have a battle ahead People were, of course, indignant over Narendra Modi’s remark that the migrant Bangladeshis should pack up their luggage and leave before May 16, the day when the election results will be announced. None wants Modi to be India’s Prime Minister. His tirade against Muslims makes the Bangladeshis believe that they are in for a rightist Hindu state as their neighbour in place of a secular democratic polity. More than that is their fear that Modi may spoil the proximity the two countries have enjoyed since New Delhi's assistance in their liberation struggle. The trip to Dhaka also gave me an opportunity to step back and assess our elections. I see the induction of religion in politics. Modi and the BJP have played the Hindu card to polarise the multi-religious and multi-cultural country. The harm they have done may be irreparable. The dream of our forefathers that India after Independence would be pluralistic in tone and tenor despite its partition on the basis of religion does not seem coming true. Modi has been successful in creating a cleavage between Hindus and Muslims, something which we had successfully thwarted since Independence in August 1947. I have no doubt that the poison injected in the body politics of the country would one day disappear. But in the meanwhile the nation would have to face an environment of mistrust and estrangement. Liberals, declining in numbers in both communities, have a serious battle ahead of them. They have to work with more vigour to establish the supremacy of secularism. Modi and the BJP could not have asked for more propitious time. People want “parivartan” (change) and they have no other option to defeat the Congress which has failed them in every field, whether in economic development or governance. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is only a recent phenomenon, confined to the urban areas in the North. Therefore, the vote polled by Modi and the BJP would be a negative vote. The sterile 10-year rule by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has cost the Congress its re-election. Various scams which have come to light have harmed the party further. Modi's irresponsible speeches have helped the Congress to retrieve some ground. But its stand, spelled out by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, has put cold water on the possibility of an alternative with the regional parties. He has voiced strong opposition to the Congress leading the third front or supporting it. The national Election Commission, no doubt independent, has been soft towards those who have violated the poll code. Modi for one has even challenged the EC to try him for the speeches he has been making. By any yardstick they evoke hatred for Muslims. The commission's reaction has been only legalistic even though it has the powers to disqualify him. This attitude of the commission tells upon the independence of polls. The real bad news about elections is the demise of the leftist forces. They could have checked the fundamentalists and enhanced the chances of secular elements. In fact, that is the tragedy of political activity in the entire subcontinent. During my college days in the forties it was said: “If you are not a leftist by the age of 25, you should consult a doctor”. This assumption got diluted as years went by. The rightists did not remain isolated. They worked hard and influenced the minds of youth who are today dazzled by money and whatever promotes their career. Karl Marx is seldom read, much less discussed. I am not surprised that the ideology of the Left did not figure in the poll campaigns. Even the avowed leftists did not talk of socialism or egalitarianism. They too have come to believe that in the environment of free economy and individual entrepreneurship, buttressed by the Manmohan Singh government during its 10-year regime, there is little room for the Left. The surprising part is the silence of even those committed Marxists. Still the fact remains that the first general election in 1952 saw the Communists’ victory in Kerala. Later, West Bengal and Tripura in the Northeast returned the red governments. Today, the Left is confined only to Tripura. Their number in the Lok Sabha has been coming down steadily. Apparently, their hold has gone down drastically. My reading is that the leftists in India were so dependent on Moscow that they felt orphaned when the citadel of communism, the Soviet Union, caved in. The ideology of the Left received a heavy blow. The supporters in India were so disheartened that they practically withdrew from the fold, leaving the entire field to the capitalists. In fact, the entire effort of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and that of the Marxists (CPI-M) is directed towards stopping the BJP from coming to power. Knowing their own limitations, they are hoping to constitute a federal front of sorts by bringing the non-Congress and non-BJP parties on the same platform. This is not a bad idea because both the Congress and the BJP are so immersed in corruption and communalism that their defeat is in the interest of India. Maybe, that is the reason why Rahul Gandhi has assailed the formation of the third front. He is hoping that the non-BJP parties will realise that they have no option except to support the Congress in the formation of the next government. Defeating the communal and corrupt forces is essential but no less important is the positive approach to push egalitarianism, the promise made during freedom struggle. At present, both communist parties are distant from the basic philosophy of equality. For some reasons, they have come to believe that secularism will ultimately lead to socialism. How incorrect their assessment can be seen from the call of chauvinism which the regional parties have articulated. And most of them are so close to the corporate sector that they have not spelled out the role of public sector in the country if and when they share power. The scenario, indeed, is dismal.
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In the company of geishas in Tokyo A total of six officers, three officers’ wives and five company executives, including the President, attended. All items to be served were from the Japanese cuisine and the geishas were to look after the proper service and utilisation of each item served to the guests in a traditional Japanese manner. The first two items served were comfortably cut and drunk by the guests, the third item brought the geishas close to the laps of the Indian male guests much to the discomfort of the wives of the Indian officers. Keeping in view the sensitivity generated by the presence of the geishas, the Captain’s wife spoke to the company President, who hinted to the geishas not to proceed beyond sharing the same seat with the Indian officers. This was achieved as the geishas stopped putting chunks of Japanese boiled vegetables in the mouths of the officers who were seen gesticulating and smiling. The geishas were also observed serving low alcohol drinks to the guests while explaining the correct use of the chopsticks. Just when such harmony was being exchanged there were sudden indications of a mild earthquake. There was the usual rattling of doors and fittings. We expected a quick human stir and exodus. But nothing else moved. The President got up from his seat and advised all to remain seated. He advised the guests that such earthquakes were common in Japan and everything would be normal in some more minutes. Things appeared quite normal soon. But then surprisingly one of the geishas from one corner of the gathering got up and sought permission of the President to say a few words. She had changed her geisha dress to a normal evening dress and introduced herself to be the daughter of a university professor who was dead. Towards of end of the Second World War her parents were residing close to the Okinawa coast. In that harbour some Japanese submarines were anchored, waiting to be sunk in the deep sea by the allied fleet. Under the post-war arrangements, one of the Indian Navy ships had also arrived in the harbour to join that task force. The Indian Navy Captain of this ship had met her father who told him that due to the intense bombing and blockade, no sugar was received by them during those years. “The Indian Captain gave two bags of sugar to my father for the family for which we shall always remain grateful indeed!”
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Exercising the right to vote, and how
Our
electoral system, which cut its teeth during the first Lok Sabha election in 1951-52 has come a long way. From just 176 million voters then, a record 814 million people were eligible to cast their votes in the recently concluded polls. Far-reaching changes have taken place since the first Lok Sabha polls, which first experimented with multi-seat constituencies; in 1951, for example, there were 489 seats in 401 constituencies. This system was abolished during the 1962 polls. Paper ballots have been replaced by electronic voting machines which, despite occasional hiccups, have come to be fast, efficient and
trustworthy. Voter identity cards with photographs, introduced way back in 1993, are here to stay. The voting age has been lowered from 21 to 18 years, which is in line with most other countries.
Room for improvement Although the Indian electoral system, which has improved with every election, has won world-wide appreciation, there are certain lacunas that still need to be addressed. Article 324 of the Constitution vests the powers of superintendence, direction and control of conducting the elections to both Houses of Parliament and the State Legislatures to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The ECI, which was a single-member body till 1993 is now a three-member Commission. Although the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls in states are held under the overall supervision of the ECI, as per the Representation of People Act, 1951, the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) conduct the polls. Since the CEOs are and remain officers of the state government, which has the powers to post them elsewhere after the polls, they have
often drawn flak from opposition parties. A CEO may be accused of toeing the line of the party in power in the state where he serves. Same is the position of the District Election
Officers (DEOs). Either the post of CEOs, like the Chief Election Commissioner, should be made autonomous or a provision should be made in the Representation of People Act to second the officers of the state government who are to act as CEOs and DEOs to the ECI for a fixed tenure of at least 10 years.
Curbing political pressure State Election Commissioners, who conduct the elections to the Corporations, Municipalities, Zila Parishads, District Panchayats and other local bodies also needs to be insulated from political pressures. Contrary to their nomenclature, they are independent of the Election Commission of India. They are appointed under the 73rd and 74th amendments by the state governments from among the retired officers. Yet, by virtue of their appointment, there are chances of their being swayed by the state governments of the day. Since elections to the local bodies are pivotal to taking electoral democracy to the grassroots, there is need to make the State Election Commissions also Constitutional bodies on the lines of the ECI. Alternatively, elections to the local bodies could be placed under the CEOs and DEOs in the new avtar that is suggested.
Make NOTA relevant The other issue is to provide greater relevance to the provision of None Of The Above (NOTA) in the electoral ballot. The system as it exists today remains only a half-way house. While the votes registered as NOTA are counted, they don't change the
outcome of the election process even if they number more that the winning tally. It is suggested that if NOTA votes account for more than the votes gained by the winning candidate in a particular seat, fresh polling should be ordered. In fact, many countries have experimented with different forms of NOTA, which is also referred to as “against all” or “scratch vote” in some places. In the erstwhile Soviet Union, for example, way back in 1991, NOTA led to re-polling in a number
of seats. Since Indian elections today are estimated to be a Rs 30,000-crore extravaganza, and when a sum of that magnitude is involved, the presence of black money is a very strong possibility. The ECI is well aware of this and in the just-concluded General Election it has done its best to intercept unaccounted money. In fact, from the point of view of the Income Tax Department, nothing is better than an election for flushing out black money and exposing those who have been hiding their wealth to avoid taxation. The issue of campaign funding and the expenses of political parties also needs wider consideration. During the 2009 polls, as per the estimates submitted by the political parties themselves, BJP spent Rs 450 crore and the Congress Rs 380 crore. In the recently concluded polls, the expenditure amount is expected to be much more as money spent on
media campaigns alone is estimated to be astronomical.
Clean money, clean politics We need to emulate countries like the US, where "clean money, clean politics" as a slogan is gaining ground. The US Congress banned corporate funding in federal polls way back in 1907. In 2004, unlimited soft money contributions (money a corporation or union could give) were limited by law through the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA). However, limit on contributions by individuals
was raised. In our country, the reverse is the norm and corporate funding is on the increase. Nobody gives money for nothing. It is no secret that corporate houses give money to all parties — a greater amount to the party expected to win, but even those parties whose chances are slim will not be sent away empty-handed. Call it their political hedge fund or a recognition of how swiftly things and unpredictably situations can change in politics. In US, there is also a provision of candidates raising funds through public finance which is strictly regulated. The public finance is directly proportionate to contribution received from individuals.
Poll expenses Another lacuna involves expenditure limits during polls. While the Election Commission has fixed limits on individual candidates (Rs 70 lakh for a Lok Sabha candidate), there are no limits on expenses incurred by political parties. Not only should the expenses of a party be directly proportionate to the number of candidates of that particular party in the fray, the parties should be asked to explain the source of such funding. One of the problems which is becoming more noticeable is of efforts to influence the voter through money, liquor, drugs and muscle power. These practices are continuing since the punishment is not harsh enough — such offences are punishable by imprisonment between one to five years. Since booth capturing is tantamount to an attack on the democratic process itself, it should invite much harsher punishment — possibly at least 10 years imprisonment in order to act as deterrent. Besides, political parties should be brought under the Right to Information Act. Similarly, the punishment for bribing a voter or for impersonation is just one year's rigorous imprisonment under Section 171 of the Indian Penal Code. In order to have a deterrent effect, this should be enhanced to at least 10 years, with a proviso that if the involvement of the candidate is proved, not only would his candidature be cancelled, he would also be booked for conspiracy to bribe voters.
Postal ballot Postal ballot system or the “vote by mail” too needs to be further fine-tuned. Although this facility is available to six different kinds of voters, it is most frequently used by the serving defence personnel. It should be made mandatory for military commanders to ensure that each and every individual under their command exercises his or her voting right. Serving personnel could be asked well in advance on whether they would exercise their right in their home town where they have a vote or in the place of their posting. Accordingly, provisions should be made for their voting. In some states like Punjab, Gujarat and Kerala, a very large number of people live or work abroad. They should not be deprived of their right to vote and it would not be difficult to make it possible for them to exercise their voting right through the Indian embassies. Obviously for this and also the postal ballots, a lot of ground-work will have to be done much before the polling date. One of the weaknesses of the Indian electoral system is the failure to get most people to exercise their vote. From 59 per cent people exercising their right in the 1951 polls, even now the national polling average is hovering around 66 per cent. This is surprising given the fact that we are now living in the digital age where social media alone influences voting to the extent of 10 to 15 per cent. Moreover, the young voter, whose level of awareness is very high, forms a sizeable percentage of the electorate. Though it must be admitted that despite our poor literacy and awarensss levels, our voting percentage is higher than many countries (in USA it was just 57 per cent in 2012 polls).
Compulsory voting Many political pundits have even suggested introducing the compulsory voting system that exists in some countries, including Belgium, Greece and Australia, in one form or another. In these countries, those who don't exercise their votes are either fined or face problems in getting or renewing their driving licenses and passports. In India, Gujarat was the first state to pass a bill for compulsory voting in local body elections but the bill is yet to take the form of law.
While compulsory voting sounds undemocratic, there is definitely need to create still greater awareness. As a first step, it may be in the fitness of things to make voting not just a right but a duty.
Surging poll expenses
The lacunas
Highest voter turnout
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I
was in Dhaka a few days ago. Interest in Bangladesh in our Lok Sabha elections is so ardent that it is to be seen to be believed. People know the minutest details about the polls like the palm of their hands. They watch India’s television news channels which are banned in Pakistan.
Years
